October 6 – 12 is Physician Assistant Week, an opportunity to celebrate the dedicated physician assistants that make great care accessible for millions of patients every day.
Collectively, physician assistants (PAs) see more than 500 million patients in the U.S. each year and power telemedicine’s central role in expanding access to care for patients in communities big and small across the country.
PAs participate in a wide range of areas across the continuum of patient care, conducting exams, diagnosing illnesses, making treatment plans, and prescribing medication with skill and expertise. Their robust medical knowledge equips them to treat a wide variety of patients across many areas of medicine, including general surgery, family medicine, pediatrics, psychiatry, and many more. This training enables hospitals and clinics to reach beyond standard care demands of their communities, shortening wait times and giving patients more face-to-face time with providers they know and trust.
In addition to earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees, PAs must complete a minimum of 2,000 supervised clinical hours before passing the rigorous Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) exam to earn certification. PAs must also complete continuing medical education throughout their career and pass recertification at regular intervals.
At Access TeleCare, PAs provide the capacity and collaborative care that enables our clinical partners to scale telemedicine programs quickly and meet patient care demands in their communities. Our PAs work closely with physicians and other advanced practice providers to ensure consistent coverage and that patients have timely access to exceptional care.
Learn more about the impact PAs have on our telemedicine programs here.
